In today's networked environment there are many instances of directories used for many different purposes. Example directories include Network Operating System Directories such as for managing logins, file-systems, and printers; Security Directories such as for single sign-on, web access management, and service management; application specific directories, such as online telephone directories, location directories, and email directories; and publishing directories, such as white pages, yellow pages, and blue pages.
In practice, many directories operate in isolation from each other, resulting in problems. One such problem is duplication of data, which may result in inconsistencies between servers depending on how the data is updated. Another problem is fragmentation of data, which results when different systems store data in different ways. Another problem is that management and administration of separate systems can be tedious and duplicated. Further, there can be problems with privileges and enforcing organizational wide policies between systems. With respect to standards, vendors have proprietary systems with many proprietary extensions and vendors are not obligated to adopt a common standard. In addition, sharing of databases or their customization is difficult; one operations group may “own” a particular directory and will not allow it to be used, written to, or extended by another group or other applications.